Status Foe has perhaps the most unique sound you will come across in a while. As they blur together branches from hard rock, grunge, prog and southern rock, they sculpt a sound specific to them. The mixing of vocalist Colby Homes, drummer Chad Prifogle, guitarist Larry Anderson and bassist Warren Kost must be one in a million. In there upcoming album ‘Falling Awake,’ there are moments when it would be too easy to throw away comparison and call it day, yet the constant interplay of influence leads to a sound you just can’t quite pin down. It shape-shifts from one riotous refrain to the next slick solo, yet there’s not a moment that Status Foe doesn’t feel like an unshakeable unit.
‘Call It As It Is’ sets the tone for the album. What struck me most was the vocals cutting through the mix on this track. The multi-instrumentalist and singer Colby Holmes offers up a unique tone. Quite casually he’ll throw away cadence and the next he’ll perform with power, maintaining his charismatic charm in both. In fact, throughout the whole album, it never feels as if he’s straining against the slick guitar solos that soar in and out of the tracks. ‘Sour Grapes Resolutions’ and ‘A Plea For Help’ are some seriously strong examples of these perfectly planned shifts in the power dynamic. ‘It Was Overstated’ boasts one of the catchiest and complex choruses of the album. It’s one of the longer tracks out of the twelve, but once you get into the moody soundscape you can see why; it’s ever-evolving. There’s almost an improv type feel flowing throughout the verses and each musician colours the chords with intricate inflexions, fills or riffs. Both in this song and in ‘Falling Awake’ as a whole, there’s not a moment of ‘too much’ as we’re carried by the chords on a journey through Status Foe’s utter skill. Status Foe clearly has a telepathic level of musical understanding between them.
https://www.instagram.com/statusfoe/
Falling Awake Will Be Released on 20th April 2022
By Sasha Lauryn
